New Zealand police respond to Splinter Cell stunt involving 'gun'

A Splinter Cell: Conviction marketing stunt went a bit too far in Auckland, New Zealand. According to the New Zealand Herald, a man with bandages on his hands pointed a fake gun at the patrons of a bar, who responded by diving under tables and calling the police. The money quote comes from Senior Sergeant Ben Offner, who said, "We consider these types of stunts to be very ill-advised and have real concerns a similar one may one day end in tragedy." Er, "ill-advised" would be putting it lightly.

The company responsible for the stunt, The Monaco Corporation, claims it hired another marketing company to organize the promotion and didn't know a gun would be used. It apologized for the stunt, with a spokesperson stating it was "marketing gone wrong." So wrong, in fact, that the report refers to the game as "Splinter Cell: Evolution." The situation sounds a lot worse than it apparently was, as police only "cautioned" two men at the scene.